


give in

by secondsofhappiness (orphan_account)



Series: The Mill Stories [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 03:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13825935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/secondsofhappiness
Summary: He rolled his eyes as Robert began to pull away. "Robert, I'm hardly an expert manipulator here." Aaron felt the loss as Robert let go, stalking back off into the kitchen. "Anyway, that's your job." He swivelled on the spot to catch Robert's glare."Hilarious."-------------Part 1 of The Mill Stories:Robert won't relax and Aaron works his magic.





	give in

**Author's Note:**

> This little ficlet series is my attempt at injecting loveliness back into that flat by writing little moments in time. I really hope you enjoy!  
> (If you have any moments you'd like written then please send me them over at my tumblr @secondsofhappiness)

  
"Do you ever just stop?" Aaron shouted from the couch, socked feet propped on the coffee table and back pressed between the sofa cushions. Sunday afternoons were for laziness and yet Robert hadn't sat still for more than five minutes.

"I need to prep Seb's bottles and then find my phone charger because it's about to die and Liv's definitely had it and not given it back," Robert called, making a racket in the kitchen with every step. "Then I promised Vic I'd look over her application to work the festivals again this year with the Diner."

Aaron rolled his eyes, fingers idle around his hoodie strings. Robert got like this sometimes. _Manic_. He was always switched on, sometimes only half aware of it and nobody else seemed to notice, just always left him to his own devices because Robert was the kind of person that suited busy.

Although Aaron knew otherwise. Robert suited comfortable and sleepy and relaxed better than anyone Aaron had even known. Being a farmer's kid had taught the Sugdens about early mornings and constant responsibility but Aaron knew that the second Robert was allowed to relax, he eased into it like a kitten and dialled himself back till he was able to clear his mind a little, to touch a little slower, to leave plans till later - to just be.

Aaron was the king of chill. He was also the one person Robert responded to when he was like this. All twitchy and focused and entirely unable to view life objectively.

"Rob, come here a minute," he called back, smiling when Robert shouted something intelligible. "What was that?"

More banging and clashing. Aaron tipped his head back to see Robert's peek around the corner of the kitchen. His cheeks were pink. "I said, I haven't got time for you to slow me down."

Aaron laughed to himself. "Yeah, well what if I told you I'd rented that movie you've been banging on about watching and that I'm wearing that new hoodie."

The noise stopped. Aaron bit his lip, shuffling back into the cushions in silent celebration. Gotcha.

"The one I bought you?" Robert's voice was closer - as in _right behind the couch_ \- and Aaron pressed his lips together in smug satisfaction.

"That's the one."

The sofa cushions dipped as Robert leaned his weight against them, arms mere centimetres from Aaron's shoulders. "I know what you're doing," Robert said eventually, his fingers soft at the nape of Aaron's neck, drawing lines against the furry lining.

"Yeah, what's that?

"It won't work," Robert said defiantly, his actions saying otherwise as he ran his hands down Aaron's chest. Not being able to see Robert's eyes wasn't a disadvantage; they'd played this game too many times for Aaron to doubt his skills.

He rolled his eyes as Robert began to pull away. "Robert, I'm hardly an expert manipulator here." Aaron felt the loss as Robert let go, stalking back off into the kitchen. "Anyway, that's your job." He swivelled on the spot to catch Robert's glare.

"Hilarious."

Laughing, Aaron pulled his hoodie snug to his chest and rested his chin against the back of the sofa, peering. "What's hilarious is how wound up you are on a Sunday. It's God's day."

Not even he could keep the humour out of his voice, instead choosing to press his smile into the cushion, a move Robert clocked in an instant.

"Now I know you're bullshitting." He was sorting through papers on the kitchen table now, trademark crease in his forehead that Aaron just wanted to watch disappear.

"Yeah well," Aaron tried, folding his arms under his chin and shrugging, "if you sat down with me then I'd shut up."

With a huff and the snap of a ring binder, Robert had cleared the table. "Aaron, I can't, I've got stuff to do."

"Stuff that can wait and you know it." Robert stopped then, hands on his hips. Aaron felt those eyes on him, the same feelings flooding his chest that hadn't stopped being close to overwhelming since the barn and "I don't negotiate with idiots". Who said love stories had to be conventional? "You forget, Robert. I _know you_."

With that, Aaron turned, leaning over to drag their brand new sofa throw into his lap. Robert had insisted they buy it, ranting on in the shop about now chilly the flat would get in Winter, how nice it would be to watch TV together under it and how the deep red knit complemented the decor. Aaron didn't know about that but the prospect of leaning against Robert's arm and feeling the warmth bleeding through their bodies while watching some crap movie that Aaron knows he'll fall asleep during only to wake up with Robert's fingers in his hair...

It was worth the effort to get Robert to chill out.

"I guess I'll just watch this movie alone then, under our new blanket, on our comfortable sofa with all those really nice cushions you bought and drink this great cuppa. You just," Aaron swivelled his head in Robert's direction, smug at knowing he was still getting the attention, "carry on doing what you're doing all the way over there on the hard kitchen chairs."

Aaron pressed play pointedly, shuffling back against the couch with a smile. He'd count down silently but he wasn't _that_ cocky - he left that kind of stuff to his husband.

The movie's credits splashed across the screen, their surround sound speakers crackled to life and Aaron kept his eyes fixed forward.

It took less than a minute. There was shuffling, the scraping of chairs, a few sighs and then a warm weight at Aaron's side. "You haven't won."

"Mmmmhmmm." The sweet satisfaction was something but nothing compared to having Robert's thigh pressed against his own, Robert's hand so available to hold and their combined warmth under their new obscenely expensive blanket that Robert was pulling over his own lap.

"You haven't," Robert said firmly, turning his head on the back of the sofa. Aaron bit his lip against a smile and turned to face him too, noses centimetres apart. "I'm only going to sit here for a bit then I have stuff to do."

"You do whatever you have to do," Aaron said softly, skin shivering at the brush of Robert's fingers over his knee. Even through layers of wool, the touch set his breathing off course.

"I will." Aaron suppressed a snort in the fold of his hoodie.

Robert's eventual contented sigh wasn't lost on Aaron, nor were his subtle attempts to shuffle closer nor his even breathing which told Aaron all he needed to know.

After ten minutes, the warm weight against his arm had grown solid and consistent, a gentle breath hot against his neck and Aaron chanced a peek.

Robert was asleep, eyelashes fanned out against his cheeks, blushed pink at the warmth. Aaron smiled. Nobody knew Robert like this, not even Vic. Nobody saw the aching vulnerability when his eyes would soften to something close to childlike and he'd melt into moments with the kind of relief that only a person starved of affection would feel. There was something about the way Robert would disappear into a frenzy every now and then, often growing more distant by the minute or more intense that his focus would lock and be ignorant to influence. Aaron knew that feeling even if he felt it while running, feet hitting hard against the pavement. They had their own coping mechanisms, both just as unhealthy, both just as likely to cause even more damage.

It was for this reason that they worked. Robert knew his tricks, could see through his bullshit a mile off and Aaron would coax Robert out from whatever cell he'd built for himself and into somewhere warm and comfortable and, well, normal. If there was a beer or a cuppa there waiting then it was a bonus.

Aaron felt movement against his arm, fingers seeking out the crook of his elbow and threading through it to hold tight. He smiled at the way Robert pressed his nose into the soft sweatshirt material, chest rising and falling so slow and steady. "Thanks."

Aaron squeezed back, turning his head to rest his lips against messy blonde hair. "Just sleep."


End file.
